Diarrheal Diseases of Children

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Abstract
Studies designed to provide data on the role of different types of enteropathogenic viruses and bacteria in diarrheal diseases of infants and young children have been carried out by various investigators.1-4 The role of the Shigella and Salmonella groups of organisms, and to a lesser extent that of the pathogenic Escherichia coli group, have been clearly established. However, infections with these groups of pathogenic bacteria account for only a proportion of the total cases of diarrhea (30% to 50% according to different studies), leaving a very large number without a known etiological agent. Although there is well-documented evidence suggesting that certain types of ECHO viruses are capable of producing diarrhea, especially in young children,5 the role of the vast majority of enteroviruses, as well as the adenoviruses, in diarrheal diseases of infants is still undefined. Comparative studies on virus isolation rates in large numbers of endemic cases of